roccoschili Chapter 39: The Soda of Happiness for Fat Otaku!
Chapter 39: The Soda of Happiness for Fat Otaku!
Chapter 39: The Soda of Happiness for Fat Otaku!
The sun was scorching, and the cicadas were chirping incessantly.
Black bubbles were bubbling away in the large iron pot in the backyard of the imperial kitchen.
This color is inappropriate.
It was shiny black, thick and clinging to the sides of the container, looking almost exactly like ink, yet it emitted a strange, indescribable smell.
It has a slightly caramelized sweetness, mixed with a few hints of herbal spiciness.
"This thing really looks like arsenic."
Su Mu muttered to himself, scooped up a spoonful of the dark soup and looked at it.
We need to add more gas.
The system was very generous yesterday and rewarded me with a jar of food-grade baking soda.
This is the soul of this drink.
The courtyard gate was pushed open a crack.
The little ox peeked in halfway, its two little tufts of hair now tied into a bun, making it look even rounder.
She sniffed, and her bright eyes instantly dimmed, her two faint eyebrows twisting into a pretzel shape.
"Bitterly bitter—"
The little girl pulled her head halfway back, turned around and was about to run away. Her two short legs moved incredibly fast as she shouted through a lisp, "Sister, run! The pot's boiling medicine! It smells awful!"
Li Lizhi grabbed her younger sister by the back of her collar and pulled the little dumpling back, who was trying to escape.
Today she wore an ivory-colored light gauze dress, with the neckline slightly low for breathability, revealing a section of her fair neck.
But now, her pretty face was also filled with doubt.
Li Lizhi stared at the bubbling black water in the pot, her throat tightening.
"Su Mu, are you feeling unwell?"
Li Lizhi asked tentatively, "The smell of medicine has even reached the alley. If I get sick, I'll have the Imperial Medical Bureau send some good medicine. This folk remedy—I'm afraid it's not suitable for me."
Su Mu squeezed in the last bit of lemon juice and casually tossed the lemon peel into the corner.
"You're not sick, this is to help you cool off in the summer heat."
He turned around and chiseled a large block of ice out of the ice shovel.
This ice cream was specially left by Li Lizhi yesterday, saying that she was afraid he would get too hot to cook.
Su Mu broke the ice and poured it into three large, rough porcelain bamboo-shaped cups.
"Come here, have a taste."
Su Mu scooped up a spoonful of scalding hot, thick black liquid and poured it onto the crushed ice. The dark red liquid seeped down the ice cracks, emitting a puff of white smoke.
Then, he took out a small porcelain bottle from his pocket and sprinkled some white powder into the cup.
Then add cooled boiled water.
Sizzle—!
The once quiet cup suddenly erupted into chaos.
Countless tiny bubbles surged up from the bottom of the cup, the black liquid churned violently, white foam overflowed from the rim, and produced a dense, chilling hissing sound.
Little Sizi was so frightened that she hid behind Li Lizhi, her two little hands tightly gripping her sister's skirt, only her eyes showing as she stared at the cup in terror.
"It's exploding! The water's exploding!" The little girl's voice trembled. "The pot of poison is going to eat people!"
Li Lizhi's expression also changed slightly, and she subconsciously took half a step back.
This scene is truly bizarre.
The black water was boiling, but there was no fire, and white bubbles were still rising to the surface. It looked exactly like a Taoist priest's alchemy furnace had exploded.
"This is called—happy water."
Su Mu picked up a glass, and the bubbles kept rising, bursting at the tip of his nose and releasing tiny water droplets.
He tilted his head back and gulped down a large mouthful.
The icy liquid rushed down my throat, and countless tiny bubbles burst in my mouth and esophagus. The stinging sensation instantly woke up every drowsy cell.
Finally, a surge of air rose up from my stomach.
Su Mu let out a long burp and sighed contentedly.
"Cool!"
He slammed the empty glass on the table and looked at the two sisters who were still in shock: "If you don't drink this in the summer, you've wasted your life."
Li Lizhi looked at Su Mu's intoxicated expression, then glanced at the still-jumping black water in the cup.
Really—can you drink it?
The sweet aroma of caramel mixed with the sourness of lemon, carried into the nose by the bubbles, certainly didn't taste like bitter medicine.
"I want to be happy too!"
Xiao Sizi is someone without principles.
Seeing Su Mu drinking so enthusiastically, her earlier fear vanished instantly. She loosened her sister's skirt, moved closer to Su Mu, and stood on tiptoe to reach the cup.
"belch!"
"Be careful not to choke."
Su Mu handed her a cup, "This stuff has a bit of a temper."
Little Sizi held the cup, which was bigger than her face, in both hands, watching the tiny bubbles inside constantly burst, and found it extremely amusing.
She tentatively stuck out her pink little tongue and licked the surface of the water.
puff!
A small bubble bursts on the tip of the tongue.
It feels numb and itchy.
Then came the sweetness, the sourness, and a thrill I'd never experienced before.
"Mmm!" Little Sizi's eyes widened as if she had discovered a new continent. Without further hesitation, she brought her little mouth to the rim of the cup and took a big gulp.
Bubbles carrying icy sugar water rushed into my mouth, darting around between my teeth.
"ha----"
The little girl jumped at the suggestion, her face scrunching up, but she quickly relaxed, her eyebrows practically shooting up. "It's so delicious! There are worms biting my tongue! And they're dancing!"
She drank about half a cup in one gulp, then put down the cup and patted her round little belly.
"Hiccup~!"
A crisp burp.
Little Sizi covered her mouth in surprise, her eyes curving into crescents: "There's gas coming out of my tummy!"
Li Lizhi watched from the side, swallowing hard.
It's so hot today; my gauze dress is sticking to my back, it's so uncomfortable. This black water with ice looks so refreshing.
"Is it really that... fun?" Li Lizhi asked, picking up the last cup with a hint of skepticism.
It feels cool to the touch.
She imitated Su Mu and took a small sip.
The moment she entered the mouth, Li Lizhi's pupils contracted sharply.
This is neither tea, nor wine, nor liquid.
This is an extremely domineering and savage taste.
The countless bubbles seemed to have a life of their own, rushing around in my mouth, carrying the sweetness of caramel and the exotic aroma of herbs, forcibly prying open the taste buds that had been closed off by the summer heat.
So exciting!
Li Lizhi couldn't resist taking another big gulp.
This time it was even more intense; the airflow rushed down the throat, leaving a refreshing coolness in its wake, suppressing all the heat in the internal organs.
"Delicious!"
Li Lizhi couldn't help but praise it, and was about to put down her cup to show some restraint.
Suddenly, a surge of air rose uncontrollably from the bottom of my stomach.
That was the counterattack from the bubbles that had just been swallowed, which gathered in the body.
Li Lizhi's expression changed as she tried to suppress her anger.
This was the eldest princess of the Tang Dynasty! How could she possibly hiccup in public? She pursed her lips tightly, trying to use royal etiquette and upbringing to fight off this physiological reaction.
but.
This "happy water" cures all kinds of indigestion.
"Ugh————"
Li Lizhi's cheeks turned red from holding back her tears.
Ultimately, the defenses collapsed.
"belch-!!!"
A burp, even louder and longer than Su Mu's earlier, echoed through the quiet courtyard, even startling a few sparrows dozing in the trees.
Time seemed to stand still.
Li Lizhi froze on the spot, still holding the cup in her hand. Her pretty face turned red from the base of her neck to behind her ears at a visible speed, even redder than a boiled shrimp.
Su Mu raised an eyebrow and waved the large palm-leaf fan in his hand even more enthusiastically.
"Not bad, his spirit is like a rainbow, he's a good prospect for martial arts."
Li Lizhi was filled with shame and indignation, wishing she could disappear into the ground. She, the dignified Princess Chang Le, had never lost her composure like this even in front of her father, the Emperor! This was an utter disgrace!
"You—what kind of monster did you put in this water?!"
Enraged, Li Lizhi slammed her cup on the table, splashing a few drops of black water. "How could anyone do this—this—"
How shameless!
"Exhaust the gas."
Su Mu looked completely innocent. "In this sweltering heat, I'm feeling irritated and have a lot of food in my stomach. This bite will help me expel the pent-up emotions, and then I'll feel much better, right?"
Just as Li Lizhi was about to retort, she suddenly realized that with that earth-shattering long burp, the stuffy, bloated feeling in her chest had actually disappeared.
I felt refreshed and clear-headed, and all the heat and stuffiness disappeared.
Indeed—it's quite comfortable.